Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate-connecting electric connector that is mated with a counterpart connector in a state in which it is mounted on a wiring substrate and to a substrate-connecting electric connector device.
Description of the Related Art
Generally, in various electric equipment, for example, a substrate-connecting electric connector device referred to as a stacking connector that electrically connects paired wiring substrates to each other has been widely employed. The substrate-connecting electric connector device of this type is configured to dispose, for example, a second electric connector to which a second wiring substrate is coupled above a first electric connector to which a first wiring substrate is coupled so that the second electric connector faces thereto, cause both of the electric connectors to be a mutually mated state by lowering and pushing in the second electric connector in the upper side toward the first electric connector in the lower side from that facing state, and electrically connect the first and second wiring substrates to each other. When mating of both of the electric connectors to each other is to be carried out in this manner, one of the electric connectors is caused to be in a vertically flipped state, thereby disposing both of the electric connectors to face each other.
However, in a general substrate-connecting electric connector device, when one of electric connectors is vertically flipped and disposed in the above described manner, a wiring substrate on which the flipped and disposed electric connector is mounted is positioned above the electric connector, and the entire electric connector is therefore in a state in which it is covered and concealed from the upper side by the wiring substrate. Therefore, at which position the upper-side electric connector is positioned with respect to the electric connector disposed in the lower side cannot be checked, and a mating operation may be carried out in a state in which both of the electric connectors are not in mutually appropriate mating positions. When the mating operation is carried out in the state in which both of the electric connectors are not in the mutually appropriate mating positions in such a manner, both of the electric connectors are not sufficiently mated with each other, and it is conceivable that the mating operation is completed in a so-called half-mated state. In such a case, insufficient conduction may be caused by the shock, etc. that occurs during usage of the equipment.
On the other hand, a substrate-connecting electric connector device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-161578 described below employs a configuration in which part of unlock operation parts are projected to an outer side from longitudinal-direction both end portions of an upper-side electric connector so that the part of the unlock operation parts can be visually checked from the upper side. According to such a configuration, the mating position of the electric connector in the upper side with respect to the counterpart connector in the lower side can be visually checked. However, the substrate-connecting electric connector device is not provided with a mating-position regulating means which functions so as to precisely position the mutual mating positions of both of the electric connectors. Therefore, there is still a risk of occurrence of mutual interference and damage of both of the electric connectors in the mutual mating operation of both of the electric connectors; and, if mating is carried out in a state in which the mating positions are misaligned, the unlock operation parts formed of resin may be broken due to interference with fixing fittings.
We disclose Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-161578 as examples of related art.